The CDC is warning people not to eat raw cake batter after the outbreak of E. coli sickened 16, including Utahn

WASHINGTON – U.S. health officials are warning people not to eat raw cake batter as they investigate an outbreak of E. coli in several states linked to cake mix.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that as of July 27, 16 people in 12 states have been infected with the same strain of the E. coli bacteria. A person from Utah was among the sick.

They are between the ages of 2 and 73, and 75% of them are children under the age of 18, the CDC said.

Seven people had to be hospitalized, the CDC said, including one who developed hemolytic uremic syndrome, a type of kidney failure. No deaths have been reported.

All sick people are women, the CDC said.

The illnesses began between February 26, 2021 and June 21, 2021, the agency said in an investigation notice posted on its website.

Six of eight people interviewed by state and local health officials, at the latest report, said they ate or tasted cake batter made from cake mix, the CDC said.

“People have reported buying different varieties and brands of cake mixes,” the advisory reads.

The Food and Drug Administration is reviewing purchase records from places where sick people have purchased cake mixes to try to find a joint brand or production facility, the CDC said.

Investigators did DNA fingerprints on bacteria found in samples from sick people and found they were genetically closely related.

“This means that the people involved in this outbreak likely got sick from the same food,” the CDC said.

The number of sick people is likely much higher, according to the advisory, as many people recover without medical treatment and never get tested for E. coli.

It also takes three to four weeks to determine if a sick person is part of an outbreak, the CDC said.

E. coli can cause diarrhea, severe stomach cramps, vomiting and other symptoms and is spread by ingestion of food or water contaminated with human or animal waste or by contact with people or animals.

The CDC recommends that people not eat raw cake dough and other doughs, whether they come from a mixture or have been made from scratch, as flour and other ingredients may contain harmful bacteria that are only killed during the cooking process.

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